Texas and Arizona State are perhaps the two most evenly matched teams of the NCAA tournament’s round of 64. Both feature large front lines, solid defense and, at times, struggle to score.

Here is a position-by-position breakdown and prediction for the second-round matchup.

Jahii Carson vs. Isaiah Taylor:

Carson is one of the country’s top scorers, finishing third in the Pac-12 at 18.6 points per game. Isaiah Taylor is the Longhorn’s spark plug and one of the nation’s top freshman, averaging a not-so-shabby 12.5 points a contest himself. But Carson is his team’s unquestioned leader, when he plays well they play well. Texas, while it needs strong play from Taylor, can, and has, won without him.

Edge: Arizona State

Javan Felix vs. Jermaine Marshall

The other half of a strong backcourt, Marshall is a talented senior guard who is second on the team in scoring at 15 points per game. Felix is the Longhorns’ streakiest player. When he shoots well Texas can hum offensively, when he struggles Texas tends to flop. It’s often a toss-up as to whether Felix will play well. Marshall, on the other hand, has been relativity consistent all year.

Edge: Arizona State

Demarcus Holland vs. Shaquielle McKissic

Arizona State, like Texas, starts a third guard in their opening five, and they fill similar roles. Both Holland and McKissic tend to guard one of their opponents’ top scorers — it wouldn’t be surprising to see neither player on the other — but they have different roles offensively. McKissic, who transferred from a junior college before his senior season, is a capable scorer, who’s cracked double digits on numerous occasions. Holland is more of a glue player; he’ll attack the boards, fly in transition and guard the opponents’ best player.

Edge: It’s a push

Jonathan Holmes vs. Jonathan Gilling

It’s the battle of the Jonathan’s at power forward, though both are more stretch threes than anything at 6-foot-7 or 6-foot-8. Gilling is a role player for the Sun Devils. He plays solid defense, attacks the glass and can stretch the floor from three. Holmes is the Longhorns’ best all-around player. He leads the team in scoring, grabs the second-most rebounds and, as the only scholarship upperclassman on the roster, is the quiet anchor of the team.

Edge: Holmes

Cameron Ridley vs. Jordan Bachynski

This is potentially one of the most entertaining matchups of the tournament. Ridley is a load inside at 6-foor-9, 280 pounds and at 7-foot-2, Bachynski is one of the tallest players in the NCAA. Ridley is not the most elegant player, but he averages 11.2 points and 8.2 rebounds because of effort and a special ability to carve out space. Bachynski is the nations’ leading shot blocker (4.1 bpg) and alters every shot around the rim. It will be up to Ridley to out-position Bachynski for success.

Edge: It’s a push

Benches

Neither team has particularly strong bench play, but the Sun Devils are especially shallow. Outside of their starting five, no player averages more than 4.7 points per game and only eight players on the roster log more than eight minutes per game. Texas doesn’t have a super-sub on their roster, but it does employ five backups that can make solid contributions on any night. It usually depends on the matchup, but you can expect forwards Prince Ibeh and Connor Lammert to factor heavily in the final outcome of this game.

Edge: Texas

Coaching

Rick Barnes may have missed the NCAA tournament last season, but this year’s matchup is a premium example his quality as a coach. The Sun Devils’ Herb Sendek served as an assistant under Barnes when he was at Providence, and is about to coach in his eighth NCAA tournament. Barnes, for his part, is about to appear in his 21st.

Edge: Texas

Prediction: Texas 67, Arizona State 61

These two teams are very similar and will likely play a very close contest. Ultimately, the game will come down to which team has the best shooting night and the roster that receives more from its bench. On this night, Texas’ brutal Big 12 schedule proves advantageous as it toughs out a victory.

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